The other morning, the Chipmunk of Doom was sitting in his tree and darning socks when a shocking scene unfolded right before his eyes.
A bird on a pogo stick jumped by, singing a jaunty tune.
Dandelions ate pancakes with acorn syrup.
The sun strolled along the path, waving at flowers and scorching Mr. Doom’s toe fur.
“What in tarnation is going on around here?” thought Mr. Doom as he fanned his toes. Just when he thought the world had turned upside down, he saw Woodchuck wander by chewing on a pencil. Woodchuck liked to write short stories and often read them aloud as he worked out his plots.





Scene 1: New teacher faced with a room full of ninth graders none too keen on a boring punctuation unit. Students look at her askance, suspicious. New teacher smells mutiny in the air.
The Chipmunk of Doom is in a snit. He set off for the market early this morning to get the ingredients for his holiday baking…but instead of the pleasant cinnamon-scented experience he’d been hoping for, he was accosted left and right by misbehaving apostrophes. It’s enough to drive a chipmunk nuts!
The Chipmunk of Doom has been watching TV and he’s not happy.
Living in another country—Italy, in my case—can be a rich and rewarding experience. But unless you speak the language perfectly, it can also be an obstacle course of words and grammar. Gaffes and faux pas are inevitable, and I’ve committed my fair share—some funny, some awkward, and some just downright embarrassing!


